Louie Zalk-Neale (Ngāi Te Rangi, Pākehā) is a takatāpui artist based in Aotearoa New Zealand. They create with the metamorphic power of body adornment in ceremonial performances, bringing queer visions of the past and future into the present moment. The practice of twisting taura tī kōuka (cabbage tree fibre rope) is a central pou in Zalk-Neale’s mahi toi, which they often combine with discarded plastic and waste materials to form intricate adornments and sculptural objects used in performance.

Zalk-Neale’s ropes bind the transgender experience with the transformative shapeshifting powers seen in pūrākau Māori, reinforcing their vision of queerness as an indicator of healthy natural and cultural systems.